The present invention relates to heads or transducers for tape drive storage systems.
Multichannel or multitrack tape drives have been known for many years. Currently, such drives may be employed for audio, video or computer applications, and may read and write signals in analogue or digital form.
The rapid growth of the Internet has fostered a need for inexpensive data backup systems, for which tape drives have been employed. The increasing need for data storage, however, has placed increasing demands on tape drive storage capacity. To satisfy this need for storage, spacing between tracks can be reduced, more tracks can be provided on each tape, bits can be packed more closely on each track, or tape speed and/or length can be increased. Unfortunately, rapidly moving tapes and heads do not always accurately read or write data as these modifications are made to increase storage capacity.
FIG. 1 shows several prior art tape-head components 20 before assembly and finishing. The components 20 include a number of microscopic transducers 22 that have been formed along a surface 24 of a substrate 25 that has been covered with a cover bar or head cap 27. Numerous process steps have been performed to create the transducers 22 on the substrate 25, making this component relatively expensive. The cover bar 27 protects the expensive transducers 22. Wear bars 30 and 33 are positioned adjacent ends of the joined substrate 25, transducers 22 and cover bar 27, to which the wear bars are to be bonded. The wear bars provide a cost-effective means for extending the surface of the tape-head that contacts the tape. After adding the wear bars, the bonded substrate and wear bars are fit into a bed 35 that holds the components together. An aperture 34 in the bed 35 allows for insertion of a flex-cable, not shown, containing leads connecting to transducers 22 along surface 24.
FIG. 2 shows a finished tape-head assembly 40 made from the components of FIG. 1. A pair of rails 37 and 39 are formed on a tape-facing surface 44 of the assembly. Although this device has performed adequately, challenges in reducing tolerances and errors exist, so that increasing data storage density and reducing access time has been difficult.
An object of the present invention is to provide increased micro-mechanical accuracy in a tape-head assembly for a tape drive system, thereby providing increased storage capacity. This object is achieved by providing tape-heads having increased structural integrity and/or decreased errors in positioning. Manufacturing advantages can also be achieved with the present invention.